Minneapolis College of Art and Design vs California Institute of the Arts

Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) stand out as two prominent institutions offering specialized art and design education. While both colleges share a commitment to fostering creativity and artistic expression, they differ in several key aspects. MCAD, located in the vibrant city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to CalArts, situated in the heart of Valencia, California. CalArts, on the other hand, offers a wider range of academic programs, including unique majors like Film/Video and Character Animation, attracting a more diverse student population. To help you make an informed decision about your artistic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting the acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates of both MCAD and CalArts. Dive into the details to discover which institution aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	California Institute of the Arts	Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Overview
Location	Valencia, California	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	77.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.0%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	2,364	638
Total number of admissions given out	685	418
Admitted students who chose to enroll	203	163
Yield rate	29.6%	39.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,792	$55,702
Average net price	$53,916	$28,520
Tuition	$52,850	$41,344
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,040 Meal plan: $5,095	Room/dormitory: $5,980 Meal plan: $1,200
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $18,119	100.0% Average amount $25,957
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $5,615	96.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,000	20.0% Average amount $15,914

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	965 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	675 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%
Graduate students	479 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	100 Men 22.0% Women 78.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	44.4%
International students	29.0%	4.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	441	288
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Minnesota Wisconsin Illinois Iowa South Dakota

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Business Communication and Journalism Precision Production
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.9%	66.2%
Dropout rate	28.1%	18.6%
Transferred out	N/A	15.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $24,469 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $36,735 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $14,239 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $29,527 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $29,030 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,555 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $28,984 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,629 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $28,791 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,992 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,579 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $15,918 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $21,662 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $21,635 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,773 Year 2: $15,182 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: N/A	Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,987 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,412 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,268 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $28,847 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,090 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,963 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,098 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $25,223 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,078 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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